Introduction

There are several performance memory companies out there, some more well known than others. Perhaps one of the lesser known brands when compared to the likes of Corsair or OCZ, is G.Skill. In the past they have put together some of the best overclocking kits around and hopefully the one I have with me today will be no exception.

About G.Skill

History

“G. SKILL”, established in 1989 by enthusiasts, is a leading memory Module Manufacturer based in Taipei, Taiwan.

With traditional strengths, we have built excellent reputation by meeting market demand and fostering business competitiveness both locally and internationally with our dedications to:

– Competitive prices

– On-Time Delivery

– Assured Quality

– Customer-Oriented Services

– Various Products

Mission Statement

We are here to provide superior memory products and satisfactory services in order to keep pace with our customers’ growing needs, and help our customers in adding value to their products. And we pledge we will continue to do so and enable both sides to obtain significant competitive advantages in the market segments.

Specifications

Capacity	4GB (2GB x 2)
Speed	1000MHz DDR2 (PC2-8000)
CAS	Latency CL 5-5-5-15
Test Voltage	2.0~2.1 Volts
PCB	6 Layers PCB
Registered/Unbuffered	Unbuffered
Error Checking	Non-ECC
Type	240-pin DIMM
Warranty	Lifetime

Using 4GB

The only “problem” with using a 4GB memory kit is that over 3.2GB isn’t supported by 32bit operating systems. That means that the only two Windows O/S that support the full four gigabytes are Vista x64 and XP x64. Vista has it’s obvious attractions and drawbacks for certain people, so many might go for XP x64. However, just like Vista, this one suffers – to some extent – from driver compatibility issues so neither is particularly attractive to the prospective gamer who wants a bit more memory in their system.

Vista’s implementation of 64bit processing means that you can’t install unsigned drivers without going through a lot of hassle which makes keeping up with the latest drivers difficult. You’ll find that peripherals that aren’t well known won’t have their Vista drivers signed, effectively denying them the chance to be used with Microsoft’s latest OS. All of this makes switching to x64 a painful path.

Therefore, bearing in mind that this kit is marketed towards hardware enthusiasts and games, we will be using the OS of choice for this review, XP x86.